'He wouldn't run and hide behind his mother. He'd lead through the door,' Beau Lane of Woodline Farm said of Carpe Diem, a leading contender for the March 7 Tampa Bay Derby (gr. II) on the road to the Kentucky Derby (gr. I).

In filings made to the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering, Gulfstream and Tampa Bay selected racing dates for the July 1, 2015- June 30, 2016 fiscal year that are almost identical to its 2014-15 schedule.

The decision by Stonestreet Stables to have undefeated Ocean Knight bypass the March 7 Gotham Stakes in favor of the Tampa Bay Derby sets up a showdown between that colt and Carpe Diem, owned by Stonestreet and WinStar Farms.

After torrential rain washed away the $200,000 Fasig-Tipton Swale Stakes (gr. II) at Gulfstream Park Feb. 28, grade I winner Daredevil looks set to remain in the field when the rescheduled race runs March 7.

All-sources pari-mutuel handle is up 10.3% year-to-date at Tampa Bay Downs, which puts the Florida racetrack on course to average more than $4 million per day and finish with its highest wagering total since the 2010-11 meet.

It appears doubtful that an impasse between the company that controls the simulcast rights for Gulfstream Park and a cooperative representing 23 tracks in the Mid-Atlantic region will be resolved in time for the Dec. 6 start.

St. Elias Stable and West Point Thoroughbreds' Ring Weekend sprang a 14-1 upset of the $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby (gr. II) March 8 at Tampa Bay Downs, well clear of Vinceremos in an impressively speedy gate-to-wire score.

In her first start since finishing second in last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (gr. IT), Testa Rossi overpowered 11 other 3-year-old fillies in the stretch to post a 3 1/2-length victory in the Florida Oaks.

Stablemates Testa Rossi and Kitten Kaboodle, both graded stakes winners in 2013 from the barn of trainer Chad Brown, will make their first appearances as sophomores in the March 8 Florida Oaks (gr. IIIT) at Tampa Bay.

Although Bond Holder will not make an expected start in the Tampa Bay Derby due to a lingering foot abscess, trainer Doug O'Neill said the colt could still make the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby.

Once again, the success of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands and Longines Kentucky Oaks were the rare brights spots within the racing sector when Churchill Downs Inc. reported record revenues for 2013.

Problems started on a flight from California to New Orleans for the Feb. 22 Risen Star Stakes, when Bond Holder was slightly injured after being severely jarred by turbulence. The incident took a severe mental toll.

Owner Frank Carl Calabrese and trainer Kirk Ziadie have ended a high-profile partnership in which they each led in wins at two recent race meets at Calder Casino & Race Course and at the first summer/fall meet at Gulfstream.

The old wives' tale to starve a fever doesn't work with the Kentucky Derby variety -- not because the charms of the First Saturday in May are so irresistible 13 weeks away but because sustenance is unavoidable.
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